Promoting Welsh business in Qatar ahead of daily flights from Cardiff to Doha

The Welsh Government is leading nine Wales-based businesses on a trade mission to Qatar this weekend aimed at helping boost Welsh export opportunities to the Middle East.

Friday 29 September 2017

The visit comes ahead of the launch of daily direct flights between Cardiff Airport and Doha next May and is aimed at helping businesses capitalise on the trading and export opportunities presented by the new long-haul route.

Featuring a diverse selection of Welsh companies including Teddington Engineered Solutions in Llanelli , the British Rototherm Company in Port Talbot and food producer Rachel’s Dairy in Aberystwyth, the visit will travel first to Qatar, and then to Kuwait , in an effort to help companies forge new trading relationships with businesses operating in the Middle East and ultimately increase Welsh exports.

“This Welsh Government led trade mission to Qatar and Kuwait is well timed coming ahead of the introduction of daily and direct flights between Cardiff Airport and Doha that will transform Wales’s relationship with the Middle East.

“The new route will provide huge opportunities and as a Welsh Government we want to do all we can to ensure that these opportunities are capitalised on and turned into tangible economic benefits for Welsh companies.

“Exporting really does have the potential to transform a business and take it to the next level and as the UK prepares to leave the EU, increasing the value of Welsh exports to other markets across the world is more important than ever.

“While Qatar is a relatively small county, it is one of the richest in the world with a growing population, and a profile that will only be heightened over the coming years.

“Kuwait meanwhile, as the fifth richest country in the world, is another important market, and I am keen for Welsh companies to develop their trade links with both countries ahead of the introduction of the new flights from Cardiff.”

One of the companies, AmniTec manufactures composite, fluoropolymer, and metallic industrial hose assemblies at its base in Merthyr Tydfil and supplies oil and gas, chemical processing, power generation, refrigeration, and other industrial markets.

Jeff Sims, business development manager for Amnitec said:

“The Middle East is an interesting market for us. We don’t currently have a distribution network for our products there and there is the potential indirect route to the oil, gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) end users that interests us. We are currently manufacturing LNG composites and very high temperature pressure hoses at our base in Wales. We want to promote awareness of our Wales-made products and are keen to find out if there are markets for these products in these countries. We also want to find business partnerships and distributors to stock our bulk hose & promote our high engineered bespoke hose products.”